1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the deposit upon substrates of small quantities of fluid in arrays and, in particular, to devices and methods for depositing biological materials on substrates such as microscope slides.
2. Related Art
Mechanical deposition techniques have been used to make arrays of biological materials. Spotted arrays, such as those made using the Affymetrix® 417™ Arrayer, are simply one example of a mechanical deposition system. Arrays made with these devices are widely used to generate information about biological systems. Analysis of data from arrays may lead to the development of new drugs and new diagnostic tools. As the uses of spotted arrays has expanded, the demand has increased for devices and methods capable of making larger numbers of spotted arrays in a reasonable time and in a reliable and accurate manner.